Nursing Home Employee Accused Of Sharing Photos Of Deceased Residents

By Bill GalluccioNov 7, 2019

A 28-year-old woman from Pennsylvania has been accused of taking photos of deceased residents at a nursing home she worked at and sending them others, including her ex-boyfriend. Stephanie Thomas is facing three misdemeanor charges of abusing a corpse after she admitted to taking the photographs on her phone.

Police learned about the photographs after somebody sent an anonymous complaint to the Berks Heim Home in September. They contacted the authorities who launched an investigation into the disturbing photos. The complaint alleged that Thomas had sent the photos to other friends and co-workers and included screenshots with her cell phone number.

"She admitted that it was a mistake, and she should have never taken or sent the photos," the complaint said. "The defendant denied taking any other photos or sending anything similar to other people."

Officials searched her phone and discovered photos of three residents who had recently passed away. They also found photos of dead animals on her phone, and one witness told the police that Thomas had an obsession with death.

Thomas was issued a summons and is scheduled to be arraigned on December 3. She was suspended from her job and no longer works at the nursing home.